Cooling towers are used as part of an HVAC system in buildings in order to cool water that is circulated through the building. Cooling towers are also used in factories to cool water heated in factory processes. Often cooling towers are situated on a roof of a building. Because cooling towers have combustible components they present a fire risk. It is known to install sprinkler systems in cooling towers to protect the towers from fires. While this can be an effective approach, the cost of installing and maintaining a sprinkler system in a cooling tower can be high. It would therefore be advantageous to provide another approach to deal with the fire risk associated with cooling towers.